Indie Basement is a weekly column on BrooklynVegan focusing on classic indie and alternative artists, “college rock,” and new and current acts who follow a similar path. There are reviews of new albums, reissues, box sets, books and sometimes movies and television shows. I’ve rounded up January’s best music, highlighting my favorite songs and albums, plus links to relevant features and news, a monthly playlist, and more.

Is there such a thing as Best of January 2025? It’s been a rough month for a lot of us but thank goodness for music and as band Snapped Ankles (via Kara Walker) say, “Hard Times Require Furious Dancing.” They made this Indie Basement Best Songs of the Month list, along with new singles from Viagra Boys, Dean Wareham, Swervedriver, The Moonlandingz (Fat White Family / Acid Klaus), Dutch Interior and more.

January can be a bit of a slow month for albums but this was not a problem this year. I picked five but runner ups include Freckle (Ty Segall & Corey Madden), DECIUS (another Fat White Family side project), Mogwai, Anna B Savage, Ella Minus, Rose City Band, and Aussie dolewavers Delivery. See which albums I actually picked below.

In addition to song and album reviews, I also made a Best of January playlist that features even more of my favorite stuff of the month, coming in at 52 songs and 206 minutes. You can listen to that via Spotify or TIDAL.

We also lost David Lynch in January and I made a list of his 10 best music videos.
Head below for all the Indie Basement Best of January action…

INDIE BASEMENT BEST SONGS OF JANUARY 2025

Viagra Boys – “Man Made Out of Meat”

During the first line of “Made Out of Meat” — “Overweight freaks ride around on wheelchairs motorized by electric motors made by goblins in a factory overseas” — Viagra Boys frontman Sebastian Murphy lets out a belch as the word “factory” leaves his mouth mid-spiel, but he just keeps on going. I am not sure whether that was an accident they decided to keep or something that they planned out, but it is a perfect Viagra Boys moment. Even without that, “Man Made Out of Meat” would be an instant classic with its big riff dance-rock beat to its themes of the state of art, and a shout-along chorus that includes the couplet “I am a man that’s made of meat / And you’re on the internet looking at feet.”

As usual they’ve made a great video for it:

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The Convenience – “I Got Exactly What I Wanted”

You can’t always get exactly what you wanted but if you try sometimes, then something like this song might wander onto your speakers. New Orleans based musical collaborators and production duo Nick Corson and Duncan Troast have worked with artists like Rui Gabriel and Drugdealer — groups who fall on the mellower side of the indie rock spectrum — but as The Convenience they make angular guitar pop that sounds straight out of 1979. “I Got Exactly What I Wanted” is wound tight but is given lots of headroom and more than a little attitude. The Convenience are standoffish but ultimately welcoming, and fans of Wire, the dB’s and early Spoon will want to a) add this to their rotation and b) mark their calendars for April 18 which is when their sophomore album, Like Cartoon Vampires, drops.

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Dean Wareham – “You Were the Ones I Had to Betray”

Dean Wareham can do no wrong in my book, be it with Galaxie 500, Luna or with his partner Britta Phillips, and the first single from his upcoming That’s the Price of Loving Me feels like a gentle, string-accented stroll through his 40-year discography. The new album also reteams him with producer Kramer for the first time since G500. “Kramer insisted that I play all the guitars on this record,” says Dean. “And we worked quickly. Kramer believes that two takes yield more treasure than twenty, and he always seems to have the song mapped out in his head right away.” The video, inspired by Mary Poppins, is pretty great as well.

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Destroyer – “Bologna” ft Fiver

Some people prefer Destroyer in stripped-down mode, just a guitar and maybe a cheap synthesizer, but I prefer my Dan Bejar in lush, ultra-produced digs, full of expensive-sounding synthesizers, flashy ’80s guitar solos, plus lots of bongos, horns, and reverb. “Bologna” delivers in spades in that regard, and Dan gives a verse to sung by Fiver which is definitely new territory for Destroyer. As usual, I have no idea what Bejar is on about, lyrically, but I’m pretty sure the title refers to Bologna, the Italian city and not bologna the American luncheon meat. Let the mystery be, and don’t it all sound great?

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Dutch Interior – “Fourth Street”

LA band Dutch interior are equal parts haze and twang, whipping up a sonic dust devils that you’ll happily get swept up in. Armed with an appealingly ragged riff and sweet harmonies, “Fourth Street” is warm and fuzzy and a great appetizer for their upcoming second album, Moneyball. Fans of Acetone (with whom they’re playing a hometown show soon) will probably dig this one.

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Marie Davidson – “Demolition”

Marie Davidson has been kicking around the Montreal electronic underground for more than a decade, both with solo records and as one half of darkwave duo Essaie Pas, but she’s kicking it up a notch with her new record, City of Clowns, which was produced by Soulwax’s David and Stephen Dewaele and is being released on their label DEEWEE. “Demolition” recalls Belgium’s New Beat scene, albeit slowed to a slinky 105 bpm, and with the Dewaeles behind the boards everything sounds like a million bucks. Let this one knock you over.

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The Moonlandingz – “The Sign of a Man”

It’s been eight years since we last heard from The Moonlandingz — aka Lias Saoudi (Fat White Family), Adrian Flanagan (Acid Klaus, Eccentronic Research Council) and Dean Honer (Add N to X, All Seeing I) — but they’ve come storming back with this serious electro-disco banger and first single from their upcoming second album. I’m a sucker for the occasional throwaway line, especially in dance music, so to me when Lias rhymes “I’ve been to Paris, where I ate snails” with “I’ve been to Cardiff…that’s in Wales,” it’s perfect. Also pretty near flawless is the music video which references the Bauhaus movement, choreographer Michael Clarke and puts Saoudi in some outrageous costumes (shades of New Order’s “True Faith” video too).

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Snapped Ankles – “Raoul”

These days with vinyl pressing plants running 24 hours a day just to keep up with demand, albums are planned out even further in advance than ever. But when London groovy weirdos Snapped Ankles announced Hard Times Furious Dancing recently, it couldn’t have been a more on-the-nose title for January 2025. (They cribbed it from Alice Walker). First single “Raoul” is more methodical than furious but they know how to build and layer a song so that it grows into something approaching frenzy, in kind of a LCD Soundsystem kind of way. (They both like The Fall.) As they put it, in the world we’re currently living in, the only sane response is to dance.

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Sparks – “Do Things My Own Way”

Has any other group stayed this cool, this vital, for this long without altering their DNA more than Sparks? Ron Mael will be 80 this year and his brother Russell isn’t too far behind but they are still making weird, wonderful, Sparks-ian pop. “Do Things My Own Way” has all the angst and humor you’d expect (“Saw the Pope. Told him no.”) with a healthy dose of repetition, all wrapped up in a title that also functions as the Maels’ calling card: “Our mantra since 1972, amplified in 2025.”

Also: cool, very Sparks, video.

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Swervedriver – “Volume Control”

UK shoegaze vets Swervedriver have been back together longer than they were during their original run, and the band’s style (heavy riffage, soaring melodies) has nicely mellowed since the ’90s. There’s no question what band has made “Volume Control” even with the prominent piano that runs through this. Marking the end of a five-year hiatus and coming just in time to still ride the crest of the current shoegaze revival, this is a very welcome return. Swervedriver are still blowin’ cool.

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Total Fucking Darkness – “Desolation Boys”

More from the “Hard Times Furious Dancing” department: Total Fucking Darkness (aka TFD aka the Canadian duo of Stars’ Torquil Campbell and Young Galaxy’s Stephen Ramsay) are here to dance while someone burns down the disco and everything else, and they plan to still be dancing when it’s all just rubble. “Desolation Boys” comes to us in high ’90s house style with nods to Moloko and probably the Smiths, and if you’re not sure what they’re singing about, the video is appropriately apocalyptic.

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INDIE BASEMENT – BEST ALBUMS OF JANUARY 2025

The Weather Station – Humanhood (Fat Possum)

“I’ve gotten used to feeling like I’m crazy.” Tamara Lindemann sings to open The Weather Station’s Humanhood. “Or just lazy. Why can’t I get off this floor? Think straight anymore?” It’s a familiar sentiment these days, depression, feeling stuck and it happens even to those with seemingly a lot going for them. Lindemann was coming off 2021’s wonderful, widely acclaimed Ignorance, and its 2022 companion album How Is It That I Should Look at the Stars, both of which looked at the climate crisis through a very personal lens. But she soon found herself spiralling and unable to get out. She worked her way through it all the only way she knew how — writing songs. With loose, half finished sketches she went into the studio with a band of highly skilled improvisers and came out the other side with Humanhood, another magical Weather Station album that is both heavy and joyous at the same time. Given the nature of its creation, this is a less classically structured album than Ignorance and at times it recalls Talk Talk’s Spirit of Eden in its atmospheric swirl of piano, flute, saxophone and tom-filled drumming, but Lindemann’s masterful sense of melody is front and center on “Body Moves,” “Mirror” and “Window.” Humanhood explores what it is to be alive — the highs, lows and uh-ohs — in all it’s subtle, beautiful and messy ways.

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Ex-Vöid – In Love Again (Tapete)

Joanna Gruesome split and splintered not long after releasing their second album in 2015, and it felt like things fell apart just as they were hitting their musical stride. More than anything it was sad to lose the unique partnership of bandleaders Owen “O” Williams and Lan McArdle whose melodic and harmony style instantly hit you right in the feels. It was good news, then, that Williams and McArdle started working together again as Ex-Vöid, a group that found their chemistry not only intact but stronger than ever. In Love Again is their second album and an indie rock earworm factory, with one instantly gratifying chorus after another, colored in with guitars that sparkle, shine and get fuzzy. Nearly all their singing is in unison which brings an extra level of universality to lines like “Was I disappointing when we first kissed? / Taste of tar on my breath, slurring but not pissed,” and other singalong portraits of love and heartbreak.

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Franz Ferdinand – The Human Fear (Domino)
These Glaswegians never fully lost their mojo, but it feels back in force on their first album in eight years

Franz Ferdinand’s 2004 debut album was so good, so popular, it feels almost like they’ve been chasing that ever since. All of their subsequent records have been good, and Alex Kapranos has said the band always makes the record they want to make without trying to follow trends, but they’ve stuck pretty close to the angular “make ’em dance” formula that worked so well for “Take Me Out,” “This Fire,” “Do You Want To?” and others, and you can’t really blame them. But the eight-year break between their last album and this (which did include a greatest hits album and a couple tours), did them good. That early creative spirit feels back, with an album that allows for smart, unexpected turns and brings some of Kapranos’ discarded influences back into the fold. And while “fear” is at the center of the album, it’s also about steering into it, leaping into the dark and the exhilaration that comes with it. (It’s about relationships, getting older, all that stuff.) The Human Fear is first and foremost zesty fun and their best since the Sparks collab FFS album and at a tight 35 minutes, one of their most fat-free. This thing moves from the glammy “Audacious,” through the minimal wave groover “Everydaydreamer,” to the dirty synth-funk “Hooked,” on to land and sea on “Cats” (sea shanty cowpunk?), and even a trip to Kapranos’ Greek roots on “Black Eyelashes.” And you can dance to it! Welcome back Franz Ferdinand, and may the fear never leave.

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Tunng – Love You All Over Again (Full Time Hobby)

Tunng didn’t invent “folktronica” — that would maybe be Momus who coined the term on his rather annoying 2001 album Folktronic, though some cite Ultramarine’s 1991 album Every Man and Woman is a Star as the ur text — but they were among the first to make music like that that you actually enjoy listening to. The UK band, led by Mike Lindsay and Sam Genders, just celebrated the 20th anniversary of their debut album and its organic blend of the acoustic and the glitchy has proven to be a resilient sound. Love You All Over Again is Tunng’s eighth album and, not that they’ve ever strayed too far from their origins, this is a purposeful return to their roots. “Over the years, Tunng’s sound has varied and twisted, but at the root there is always a flavour of what Sam and I made on that first album,” Lindsay says. “Rather than searching for a new avenue we went back to what we used to do, which, after all this time, felt like it was a new avenue.” Even down to the title, Love You All Over Again is a re-embrace of their beginnings. What makes this work so well, like those early records, is the “tronica” part of the equation is used with a very subtle touch; songs like “Everything Else,” “Sixes,” “Deep Underneath,” and “Didn’t Know Why” glow in the warmth of nylon string guitars, lush harmonies, and the occasional woodwind, and would sound great even without all the gentle bleeps and bloops and patchwork production. But it’s those electronic touches that make Tunng unique even as dozens of other artists have co-opted the style. Great songwriting and arrangements, plus a little gentle humor, will always win out.

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Matt Berry – Heard Noises (Acid Jazz)
You came for the laughs but stayed for the music; Matt Berry delivers another groovy psych-pop gem

If you love Matt Berry, the comic actor from such beloved shows as What We Do In the Shadows, Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, and Toast of London to name three, and don’t know that he’s an equally gifted musician, it’s time to listen up. A multi-instrumentalist polymath who plays nearly everything on his records, Berry creates music that owes so much to the ’60s and ’70s that it often sounds like a lost artifact from the era. (It should also be said that while he’s a very funny guy, Berry doesn’t make “funny” music, at least on record.) He’s also fond of a high concept, be it Swinging London (The Blue Elephant), pedal steel-drenched Nashville-era Dylan (Phantom Birds) or ’60s/’70s “library music” (Simplicity), but Heard Noises plays more like A Matt Berry Primer. There’s groovy psych (“Wedding Photo” and “I Gotta Limit,” a duet with Kitty Liv), Serge Gainsbourg/Scott Walker lush grooves (“Why on Fire”), sunshine pop (“Stay on the Ground”), and windswept folk-rock (“To Live for What Once Was”). He’s also got a few notable guests this time: Fruit Bats’ Eric D Johnson contributes guitar and vocals on three songs, and actress Natasha Lyonne provides spoken word vocals on the very trippy, Tubular Bells-ish “I Entered As I Came.” With What We Do in Shadows done and no next big project announced yet, fill that hole in your heart with this album and work back from there through his amazing discography.

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Here’s the Indie Basement Best of January 2025 playlist in both Spotify and TIDAL form:

Looking for more? Browse the Indie Basement archives.

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Top 20 Shoegaze EPs of the Early-’90s

20. Bleach – Snag (1991, Way Cool Records)

Formed by brothers Neil and Nick Singleton, Ipswich, UK's Bleach unfortunately ran out of songwriting steam before they released their first album. (Hey, it happens, just ask Elastica.) The band managed to deliver one terrific EP that showcased their moody style, with guitarist Neil providing the haze and bassist Nick providing the mood. Like a lot of shoegaze groups of this era, singer Salli Carson's ethereal vocals seemed more like an equal element of Bleached's sound, as opposed to a focal point. "Bethesda," with its tom-heavy drumming is especially good, as is "Dipping." Extended listening: the cover art is the most distinctive thing about Bleach's 1992 album Killing Time, but it's the only one of their releases on streaming services.

19. Medicine – 5ive (1993, Creation)

Led by Brad Laner, who spent time in the '80s in L.A. cult post-punk band Savage Republic, Medicine were arguably the U.S.'s best shoegaze band, with a firm grip on melody, noise and dynamics, and they weren't afraid of sampling or dance culture. They also had rare bonafides for an American band; they were signed to Creation in the UK. (Rick Rubin's American Recordings put out their records at home.) The 5ive EP, also known as Come Here to Drink Milk, takes the tremolo-heavy title track (originally on their debut album) and pairs it with the ragged version of "Time Baby" (not the version with Liz Fraser & Robin Guthrie), searing slow jam "Lime 6," and the quasi-industrial "Wrought." Extended listening: The Sounds of Medicine EP has the Cocteau-ized version of "Time Baby" from The Crow soundtrack, plus "stripped and reformed" versions of other songs, but the 1993 sophomore album The Buried Life is Medicine at their best.

18. The Telescopes – Flying (1991, Creation)

Having got their start in the mid-'80s, The Telescopes predate shoegaze but were part of the dark neo-psych scene that included Spacemen 3 and Loop (who they shared a split 7" with in 1988). By their fourth EP for Creation, 1990's Flying, The Telescopes had blasted off most of the white noise in favor of groovy psychedelia that put them somewhere between The Stone Roses and Ride, but frontman Stephen Lawrie was always on his own sonic plane. With layers of 12-string guitars -- acoustic and electric -- Flying's title track is one of their best pop songs, while "High on Fire" heads deep into outer space and "The Sleepwalk" showed they could confidently compete with their Creation labelmates that were getting much more ink in NME. Extended listening: 1990's Celeste EP features an amazing 10-minute version of the title track that's worth the price of admission.

17. Blind Mr. Jones – Eyes Wide (1992, Cherry Red)

Their fondness of flute gave Blind Mr. Jones the reputation of being the shoegaze Jethro Tull, but this band from Marlow, UK were one of the more underrated groups of the era, with a distinctively British sound, a decided goth streak, and consistently memorable, melodic (New Order-esque) bass lines. There are no wind instruments on the Eyes Wide EP but it does feature Slowdive's Neil Halstead who gifts the record with some of his transcendent guitar cloud cover. All four songs are terrific. Is your favorite Ride song "Decay" from Nowhere? You should definitely investigate Blind Mr. Jones further. Extended listening: Compilation Over My Head collects everything Blind Mr. Jones recorded, including the Crazy Jazz EP that featured Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood.

16. Adorable – Sunshine Smile (1992, Creation)

While they owed more to Echo & the Bunnymen or House of Love than My Bloody Valentine or Ride, Adorable were signed to Creation Records, peppered their very catchy songs with guitar noise and got not entirely unfairly lumped in with the shoegaze scene...even if frontman Peter Fijalkowski bristled at the word in interviews. One thing's for sure: "Sunshine Smile" was a hell of an introduction that sounds like its title, a wonderful guitar-drenched pop song with a slinky slowburn intro that gives way to a massive guitar riff chorus. The two b-sides -- melancholy-drenched ballad "A to Fade In" and the Madchester-leaning "Sunburnt" -- are great, too, as is the cover art which uses imagery from The Passion of Joan of Arc. Extended listening: The Sistine Chapel Ceiling EP takes its title track from Adorable's debut album, Against Perfection, and adds three good b-sides, especially "Everything's Fine."

15. Catherine Wheel – 30th Century Man (1992, Fontana)

Released in the last week of 1992, this limited edition EP was a step up, sonically, for Catherine Wheel who had never sounded so confident and powerful, giving fans a taste of what they might get with 1993's Chrome. This is probably a controversial pick, given that three of the four songs here are covers, but Catherine Wheel seriously deliver the goods with these killer takes on Scott Walker's "30th Century Man," Husker Du's "Don't Wanna Know if You Are Lonely" and Mission of Burma's "That's When I Reach for My Revolver." Their cover of "30th Century Man" is particularly inspired, while the other two merely rip (while they make them their own). The EP's original, "Free of Mind," is great too. Extended listening: If you just want great Catherine Wheel songs, the Black Metallic EP has four of them, including the title track which was a Modern Rock Radio hit in the U.S.

14. Kitchens of Distinction – Drive That Fast (1990, One Little Indian)

Kitchens of Distinction would probably be classified as dreampop these days; Julian Swales was up there with Robin Guthrie and Neil Halstead for being able to coax out gorgeous waterfalls of sound from his guitar, but bassist/frontman Patrick Fitzgerald was a confident frontman who had a lot to say. (They were probably closer to The Sound or The Chameleons than to Ride or Lush.) Released as a precursor to their second album, Strange Free World, "Drive That Fast" is one of KoD's best-ever singles and the EP's other tracks are all good, with the dark, boozy "These Drinkers" and a piano rendition of single "Elephantine" being standouts. Runner up: The Elephantine EP has the full-on swirling version of the title track, plus three worthy other tracks.

13. Lilys – A Brief History of Amazing Letdowns (1993, spinART)

Kurt Heasley has reinvented Lilys a few times over the last 30 years, but the group began as noisy indie rockers who pulled equally from late-'80s Creation Records and Dinosaur Jr's freak scene. This wonderfully titled EP has some of Lilys' catchiest songs, including "Ginger" (which inexplicably ended up getting used in a 2007 Cadillac commercial), "Any Place I've Lived" and "Jenny, Andrew and Me." It's one of their best releases and, sadly, also one of the rarest...out of print, not on streaming services, and used copies are hard to come by. Extended listening: Lilys' debut single, "February Fourteenth," is a real ripper.

12. Verve – All in the Mind (1992, Hut)

Before they became Britpop stars with “Bittersweet Symphony” and “Sonnet,” The Verve were just Verve (they had to add the "The" after legal threats from Verve Records), a band from Wigan, England who made out-there, super-groovy psych rock. The group pretty much disowned the title track of their debut EP moments after releasing it, but what do they know? “All in the Mind” is a propulsive space-hopper jam that really shows off Nick McCabe’s incendiary fretwork, Simon Jones’ deeply melodic bass, and the indispensable, jazzy style of drummer Peter Salisbury. The other two tracks -- the beautiful “One Way to Go” (featuring a great vocal from Richard Ashcroft) and dreamy “A Man Called Sun” -- are more indicative of where The Verve would go on their debut album, A Storm in Heaven. Extended listening: The Verve E.P. was the band's introduction to the U.S., taking tracks from their first three singles/EPs, including "A Man Called Sun," and edits of their tripped-out A-sides "Gravity Grave" and "She's a Superstar."

11. Swervedriver – Duel (1993, Creation)

Another band who got better when they burned off some of that haze, Swervedriver made a massive leap between their first album, Raise, and their second, Mezcal Head. A big part of that was a new lineup of the band -- which included a much-improved rhythm section of drummer Jez Hindmarsh and bassist Steve George -- that could really rip. But it was also better songs and more muscular production courtesy producer Alan Moulder who was very busy in the early '90s. (He probably worked on half the records in this list.) The soaring, roaring "Duel," arguably the album's finest moment, is backed with two killer B's: the majestic "Planes Over the Skyline," and starry eyed "Year of the Girl," both of which have Jez going full Keith Moon. Extended listening: Standalone single "Never Lose That Feeling," which would be tacked-on the U.S. edition of Mezcal Head, was actually the last record the original lineup of the band made. The EP version melts into the dubby "Never Learn," making for a very worthy 11 minutes.

10. Chapterhouse – Mesmerise (1991, Dedicated)

In the UK, there was a lot of cross-pollination between shoegaze, acid house and the Manchester scene, and few groups pulled all those together as successfully as Chapterhouse. Coming just a few months after releasing their debut album, Whirlpool, the four-song Mesmerise EP -- which is is sometimes listed as a single -- features two great examples of their blissed-out style: the title track, which blasts out thick waves of synthesizers against a piano hook, was as much a Madchester anthem as anything else; while “Precious One” rides a bongo-fueled groove. There’s also the swirling, ambient “Summer Chill” and the windswept guitar haze of “Then We’ll Rise.” Extended listening: 1990’s Freefall EP falls a little more into space rock territory, but “Falling Down” -- which uses The Soul Searchers’ "Ashley’s Roachclip" drum break sample heard in Eric B & Rakim’s “Paid in Full,” Milli Vanilli's “Girl You Know it’s True” (and on many, many, many other records) -- pointed to the direction they would soon be heading.

9. Curve – Blindfold (1991, Anxious)

Curve were an interesting group, as both Toni Halliday and Dean Garcia had been around for a while in the industry; Dean was a live member of The Eurythmics in the early-’80s, and they were both in short-lived ‘80s band State of Play, who made one record and then broke up. Dean played on Toni’s 1989 solo album, and then they decided to take another whack at a group, perhaps taking My Bloody Valentine’s “Soon” as an influence, mixing hazy guitars with dance music. With Halliday’s powerful pipes it was an alluring combination. Alan Moulder, who they’d worked with in State of Play and on Halliday’s solo album -- and who was THE shoegaze engineer -- was the de facto third member of the group. Curve released three EPs in 1991, all of which are great but the first, Blindfold, is the best with the seductive single "Ten Little Girls"  featuring something no other record on this list has: rapping. Extended listening: Curve’s second EP, Frozen, is also killer, featuring “Coast is Clear” -- one of their best-ever tracks. All three of their 1991 EPs were collected onto the Public Fruit album.

8. Velocity Girl – Velocity Girl (1993, Slumberland)

While mainly known for its influential punk scene, Washington DC also had a thriving indie rock scene in the late '80s and early-'90s that was heavily influenced by the UK's C-86 scene and labels like Creation, Cherry Red and 4AD. Velocity Girl, in fact, were named for Primal Scream's song on C-86, and played a similar style of very fuzzy janglepop. The group included former Black Tambourine member Archie Moore and, originally, Bridget Cross who, when she left to focus on Unrest, would be replaced by vocalist Sarah Shannon. The band's gift for melody, and love of shambolic, noisy guitars, is evident on this EP that collects songs from three early 7"s. "My Forgotten Favorite," which would turn up a few years later on the Clueless soundtrack, is the obvious standout (and arguably VG's best song), but the other five songs are equally stellar. Extended listening: Velocity Girl were more fond of 7"s than EPs, but their 1993 debut Copacetic (released, like all their albums, on Sub Pop) has held up well, and gotten better with age.

7. Ride – Today Forever (1991, Creation)

Released just a few months after their debut album Nowhere, the Today Forever EP takes Ride out of the hazy murk and into cleaner production without sacrificing their signature swirl. The EP also shows a growing confidence in songwriting and arrangements, like with the powerful, deliberate “Sennen.” Today Forever was never released in the U.S., and is unknown still to a lot of fans, though three of its four tracks found their way onto the American "Vapour Trail" CD maxi-single...but it leaves off one of Ride’s prettiest songs ever, “Today.” Extended listening: Ride’s 1989 debut EP contains classics “Chelsea Girl” and “Drive Blind.”

6. The Boo Radleys – Lazarus (1992, Creation)

Like a number of shoegaze bands, The Boo Radleys spent a couple years hiding their musical skill and good songwriting behind a wall of MBV-inspired noise. This resulted in some great music but when they came out of their shell, they got even better. Released not long after their wilfully dissonant Everything’s Alright Forever LP, the Lazarus EP felt a bit like seeing the band with a new pair of glasses. The signs had been there all along for The Boo Radleys, but all four songs here are a step up in every way. “Lazarus” would show up on 1993’s Giant Steps, but without the long, dubby EP intro that pays off so well when the song roars into focus. It's also amazing they'd delegate songs as good as "Petroleum" and "At the Sound of Speed" to b-side material. Extended listening: 1991’s Every Heaven EP is pretty fantastic with a nice balance of melody and roar, and has one of the Boos’ best-ever songs, “The Finest Kiss.”

5. Slowdive – Holding Our Breath (1991, Creation)

While clearly influenced by the Cocteau Twins' shimmering style, Slowdive didn’t really sound like any other group from the original shoegaze era, with an oceanic guitar swell that remains unique and mysterious. “Catch the Breeze,” which would also show up on their 1991 debut album, Just for a Day, is an all-time classic but the rest of this EP is just as captivating. Rachel Goswell’s ethereal harmonies on “Shine” will never not send shivers down your spine, and their cover of Syd Barrett's "Golden Hair" is rather titanic. Extended listening: Slowdive’s debut EP, Morningrise, nods to the band’s ‘80s goth youth while pointing toward the direction they’d soon head.

4. Moose – Jack (1991, Hut)

If it wasn't for Moose, this list might have to be called something slightly different, as the word "shoegaze" was first used in a Sounds review of one of their early gigs. That is probably enough to warrant an inclusion here, but luckily Moose were a great band who carved out a distinct corner in The Scene That Celebrates Itself. Their first of three 1991 EPs, Jack, was as dissonant as they got, but underneath the bandsaw guitars were melodies rooted in a classic songwriting style that owed as much to Burt Bacharach as the Velvet Underground. That would bubble up to the surface more as the band progressed, but you can hear it on both "Ballad Of Adam & Eve" and "Boy." The EP kicks off with the awesomely drony title track, and wraps with moody ballad "I'll Take Tomorrow." Extended listening: By the release of their third 1991 EP, Reprise, they were already halfway to the breezier style they'd adopt for XYZ and subsequent albums, and it features the gorgeous, country-ish ballad "This River Never Will Run Dry." Songs from Moose's early EPs were cherry-picked for the Sonny and Sam EP, the only record Moose ever got released in America. Criminally underrated, I

3. Pale Saints – Flesh Balloon (1991, 4AD)

In between their first and second albums, Pale Saints added singer-songwriter-guitarist Meriel Barham to their lineup, changing the dynamic of the group for the better. She made her debut on this EP, singing lead on a playful, dreamy cover of Nancy Sinatra's "Kinky Love." The whole EP is fab, though, with the sprawling, dramatic "Hunted" -- which would show up on second album In Ribbons -- and is one of the best examples of the group's unique mix of beauty and noise. There's also a demo of "Hair Shoes," which shows up in full studio version on In Ribbons, but the real standout here is spectacular instrumental "Porpoise." Extended listening: 1990's Half-Life Remembered is pretty great too, especially "Half Life" which toys with Madchester beats. The title track is great.

2. Lush – Mad Love (1990, 4AD)

Cocteau Twins’ Robin Guthrie was behind the boards for this four song 12” that remains the perfect distillation of everything Lush did so well. Quintessential Lush song “De-Luxe” leads the EP that also includes the equally wonderful dreampop track "Thoughtforms" both of which feature Miki Berenyi and Emma Anderson's signature guitar and vocal interplay. plus great minor chord slashers “Leaves Me Cold” and “Downer.” Lush made many great records during their brief run, but if you can only have one, make it this. Extended listening: Lush’s debut, the six-song Scar mini-LP is excellent too, if a little rough around the edges. You don’t have to choose, either: Gala compiles Mad Love and Scar, plus a couple other tracks, on one album. It's also hard to argue with picking up Ciao! Best Of Lush which includes their dabblings in Britpop (like the title track which was a duet between Miki and Jarvis Cocker).

1. My Bloody Valentine – Tremolo (1991, Creation)

While My Bloody Valentine’s 1990 Glider EP features their danceable classic “Soon,” the 1991 Tremolo EP has an overall higher hit-count, and sees Kevin Shields and the rest of the band continuing to break new ground. Tremolo features the swirling, transportive “To Here Knows When,” the beautiful “Swallow,” glide guitar ripper “Honey Power” and the churning, Brian Wilson-esque “Moon Song.” Nearly 30 years later, listening to this dazzling EP's four songs will have you wondering "How did they make this?" and "are my stereo speakers functioning properly?" A must-own companion to Loveless. Extended listening: Then again, Glider does have “Soon.” Get them both!